Re: Mario Bava?

I really liked Black Sabbath, a couple supernatural tales with a cool little early Giallo in the middle. Definitely one of the better anthologies out there. You can find a bunch of Bava movies in The Bava Box 1 & 2. The Girl Who Knew Too Much is pretty good, a really early Giallo with John Saxon and Kill Baby Kill is solid. Twitch Of The Death Nerve (aka Bay Of Blood) and Blood & Black Lace are pretty decent too. I think most will argue that his best work was Black Sunday and Black Sabbath though.

Re: Mario Bava?

My favorite Bava film is actually one of his lesser known ones, and those who do know of it don't particularly hold it in high regard.

It's called Shock, aka Beyond the Door 2 and was the last film Bava directed. It's not the best story ever told but as with most other Italian horror filmmakers, a cohesive narrative was never high on tBava's list of priorities.

What the flick does have is a stark yet almost fairy tale-like atmosphere, some of Bava's most fluid directorial flourishes and Daria Nicolodi in what I think is her strongest performance. It ain't Citizen Kane but for a low-budget obscure Italian horror chiller, you could do a hell of a lot worse.

Re: Mario Bava?

we meet again! LOL

Blood And Black Lace - essentialBlack Sabbath - dittoKill Baby Kill - pretty damn awesomeHatchet For The Honeymoon - good, but knock it down the listFive Dolls For An August Moon - the sameTwitch of The Death Nerve - hells yeah - just to see Bava go over the top LOLBaron Blood is so-soLisa And The Devil rocks - avoid the House Of Exorcism cutRabid Dogs is great although not really horrorShock is very enjoyable as well.

Re: Mario Bava?

LoudLon wrote:

My favorite Bava film is actually one of his lesser known ones, and those who do know of it don't particularly hold it in high regard.

It's called Shock, aka Beyond the Door 2 and was the last film Bava directed. It's not the best story ever told but as with most other Italian horror filmmakers, a cohesive narrative was never high on tBava's list of priorities.

What the flick does have is a stark yet almost fairy tale-like atmosphere, some of Bava's most fluid directorial flourishes and Daria Nicolodi in what I think is her strongest performance. It ain't Citizen Kane but for a low-budget obscure Italian horror chiller, you could do a hell of a lot worse.

the hallway shot is one of the most effective scenes ever in horror movies.. loved this movie.

Re: Mario Bava?

oh yes ! i love most Bava movies and Black Sabbath in my opinion is the best. a very good film, and in the episode about the stolen ring features the scariest corpse you'll see on screen. also love Black Sunday,The Whip & The Body, like the girl who knew too much, kill, baby kill, hatchet for the honeymoon, Bay oF Blood, shock, planet of the vampires, not so keen on blood and black lace, although i do kinda like it, Baron Blood, and i dislike Lisa & tHE devil & Danger Diabolik. have not seen six dolls in a august moon. Mario bava is easily my favourite Italian horror director by miles.update! should have done this ages ago! i do like " Lisa & THE Devil" the proper version it's that atrocity " House Of Exorcism" i dislike.

Re: Mario Bava?

Is The Whip and the Body any good? It sounds interesting, a ghost story with S&M undertones and Christopher Lee. Can't resist it really. A copy came up in the dvd swap club I'm in, but I'm not sure I want to spend a credit on it. Is it worth it?

I'm currently working my way through Bava's films. I've seen Black Sabbath, which I absolutely loved, and Bay of Blood, which was better than I thought it would be. Blood and Black Lace, such a beautifully filmed movie, was my most recent watch. Black Sunday is next on the list.

Re: Mario Bava?

Blood and Black Lace was his best experimentation with lights, the surreal colors...that alot of people try to imitate.

I'm pretty sure it was a major on influence of the look of Argento's horror films (not so much his early giallos).

I haven't seen everything he's done, but what I have, I like a lot. I own Black Sabbath, and though I'm not crazy about the opening story, the second (an awesome Russian vampire tale) and third (a truly scary ghost tale) are worth the price. I also own Black Sunday and feel it's a classic that every fan of classic supernatural horror should see (and own). The only other Bava I own is Twitch of the Death Nerve (Bay of Blood) and think all slasher fans should give it a look due to it's obvious influence on the genre, most notably Friday the 13th. While I don't own it, Blood and Black lace is a very stylish giallo that will also appeal to slasher fans.

I personally like Baron Blood and also really liked Kill, Baby, Kill, however I've yet to see Shock and Hatchet for the Honeymoon, which I will have to remedy soon. I've had both on my Netflix que forever, but just haven't gotten around to them yet. Perhaps I will save them for my annual Halloween movie marathon.

Re: Mario Bava?

The Whip & The Body is my second favourite Bava after Black Sabbath and just beats Black Sunday into third place. In my opinion Christopher Lee's best performance although he is not in it all that much but has a big influence over the film. a good film.

Re: Mario Bava?

I just finished Blood and Black Lace this morning. It's such a gorgeous film, but not much beyond that for me. This was my fourth giallo, and I think I can honestly say that this sub-genre isn't a favorite of mine.

Black Sunday is next on my list of Bava films. I adore Barbara Steele so I can't wait to watch it.

Re: Mario Bava?

Ms.Gorefiend wrote:

I just finished Blood and Black Lace this morning. It's such a gorgeous film, but not much beyond that for me. This was my fourth giallo, and I think I can honestly say that this sub-genre isn't a favorite of mine.

That's because you haven't watched the right ones. Give these a try:

TenebreOperaA Blade in the DarkSeven Bloodstained OrchidsThe Girl Who Knew Too MuchYour Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the KeyHouse of the Yellow CarpetDeep RedDon't Torture a DucklingAlice, Sweet Alice (American made but a very strong Euro-horror vibe)